"The Mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The Superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
This quote by William Ward drives my philosophy of teaching. I believe that great learning starts with a great teacher to create a foundation of knowledge and build on it. For a teacher to be great, they must model learning, have high expectations, and possess a deep passion.
I have discovered that my teaching philosophies shift slightly based on the current needs of my students. Currently, my teaching methods tend to follow a more constructivist philosophy, through the use of a great deal of inquiry based activities. I enjoy having students discover and learn concepts on their own. I base my follow-up lessons on their grasp of the concepts, their prior knowledge, and any misconceptions they may have. Being a science teacher, I feel it is important to teach students the necessary skills to take their prior knowledge and build on it through asking questions and exploration. I try to continuously incorporate different educational philosophies into practice to ensure that all students gain the curricular and personal knowledge they need to learn to be successful in both school and in their future decisions. I want to inspire students in such a way that they will not only be successful in my class, but in their future lives as well.I believe it is important to relate the curriculum directly to the students so that they can gain ownership of their own learning by understanding what it is important to them.
I believe that all students, regardless of their background or disabilities, have the right to an equal education. I feel it is my job as a teacher to do what it takes to scaffold the concepts and differentiate my instruction in a way that all students can be reached. If a students is not, it is my responsibility to adjust my lessons or put in extra time outside of class to help them grasp the concepts. I also feel that my lessons should engaged all students. If they don't, I need to reflect on myself as an educator to determine what I could change so that all students engage in learning.
To do all of this, a teacher must possess a passion. Not just a passion for their subject, but a passion for their students. Just because I may love science, it does not mean I can inspire my students to want to learn it. I many not have a passion for every topic that I will teach my students, but if I have a passion to my students' learning, I can still make it a fun and memorable learning experience. This dedication is a rare and important characteristic for great teachers to inspire their students. Students can sense a teacher's passion by the care that they show their students. As a teacher, I understand that my students will make mistakes and have off days, but by showing that I care I feel that my students will be more open to learning without fear of criticism.
My classroom environment will also have to model my philosophies in such a way to foster them. I will create learning communities in which students can bond with each other and learn from each other. I will have an open style room to foster the whole class as a community that is apart of the learning that goes on in the classroom. I do not feel that the teacher should have the only say in the class. Behaviors should be modeled by the teacher from the beginning of the year, and should be consistently followed with appropriate consequences. I feel that students require structure and consistence for a comfortable and secure learning environment. I feel that by following all of these philosophies, I will create a successful learning environment. I will also have to keep in mind that students' needs change and are different from class to class, so constant professional development and self-evaluation must be done in order to stay current on what the students need in the classroom.
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"The Mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The Superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
This quote by William Ward drives my philosophy of teaching. I believe that great learning starts with a great teacher to create a foundation of knowledge and build on it. For a teacher to be great, they must model learning, have high expectations, and possess a deep passion.
Teachers are many things to students, and a role model is among the top of the list. Teachers must demonstrate behaviors and characteristics they find important to their class. For example, a teacher cannot expect respect from their students, if they, themselves, do not show it in return. Teachers must not only model the behaviors appropriate for a learning environment, but also learning styles. I feel that learning is a continuous process that we engage in for our entire lives. I think that a teacher is more credible to a student if they not only show their students how to learn, but admit that they still have things to learn themselves. I will also model the classroom activities that I assign in my class. I feel that I cannot expect students to know what I expect of them without communicating it thoroughly.In my classroom, I will constantly model a positive behavior in my classroom and tailor the learning environment to be conducive with that behavior. I feel that a properly designed classroom environment can minimize behavior problems. I tend to write lesson plans in an active manner, and would create an open style classroom to assist in the learning environment.
I believe that a great teacher must also have high expectations for their students. They need to inspire students to go beyond the facts, past understanding, and into analyzing, creating, and evaluating. A great teacher shows their students that he/she believes in them and expects them to learn at higher and higher levels. An important attribute, along with having high expectations, is consistency and equality. I feel that everyone can learn. They may learn at different rates, levels and approaches, but they have the ability to possess more knowledge than they already do. A great teacher understands this and differentiates instruction to accommodate for all students and give them all an opportunity to learn. I will include a good share of inquiry learning activities in my classroom that allows students to go above and beyond the bare minimum. I feel these types of activities help turn around "the game of school" and inspire students. When students are engaged, they are less likely to become a behavior problem, and more likely to care about their learning.
To do all of this, a teacher must possess a passion. Not just a passion for their subject, but a passion for their students. Just because I may love science, it does not mean I can inspire my students to want to learn it. I many not have a passion for every topic that I will teach my students, but if I have a passion to my students' learning, I can still make it a fun and memorable learning experience. This dedication is a rare and important characteristic for great teachers to inspire their students. Students can sense a teacher's passion by the care that they show their students. As a teacher, I understand that my students will make mistakes and have off days, but by showing that I care I feel that my students will be more open to learning without fear of criticism.
I believe that a great teacher inspires their students. They do this by modeling learning styles and engaging in continuous learning themselves. A teacher must also expect the best efforts out of all of their students and understand that everyone has the ability to learn. To be a great teacher and inspire students to learn and put out their best effort, teachers must have passion. I believe that teachers should have an ongoing dedication to the success of their students. It is this dedication that allows them to do what it takes to make sure all of their students have the opportunity to learn at the best of their ability.
REVISED VERSION
"The Mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The Superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
This quote by William Ward drives my philosophy of teaching. I believe that great learning starts with a great teacher to create a foundation of knowledge and build on it. For a teacher to be great, they must model learning, have high expectations, and possess a deep passion.
I have discovered that my teaching philosophies shift slightly based on the current needs of my students. Currently, my teaching methods tend to follow a more constructivist philosophy, through the use of a great deal of inquiry based activities. I enjoy having students discover and learn concepts on their own. I base my follow-up lessons on their grasp of the concepts, their prior knowledge, and any misconceptions they may have. Being a science teacher, I feel it is important to teach students the necessary skills to take their prior knowledge and build on it through asking questions and exploration. I try to continuously incorporate different educational philosophies into practice to ensure that all students gain the curricular and personal knowledge they need to learn to be successful in both school and in their future decisions. I want to inspire students in such a way that they will not only be successful in my class, but in their future lives as well.I believe it is important to relate the curriculum directly to the students so that they can gain ownership of their own learning by understanding what it is important to them.
I believe that all students, regardless of their background or disabilities, have the right to an equal education. I feel it is my job as a teacher to do what it takes to scaffold the concepts and differentiate my instruction in a way that all students can be reached. If a students is not, it is my responsibility to adjust my lessons or put in extra time outside of class to help them grasp the concepts. I also feel that my lessons should engaged all students. If they don't, I need to reflect on myself as an educator to determine what I could change so that all students engage in learning.
To do all of this, a teacher must possess a passion. Not just a passion for their subject, but a passion for their students. Just because I may love science, it does not mean I can inspire my students to want to learn it. I many not have a passion for every topic that I will teach my students, but if I have a passion to my students' learning, I can still make it a fun and memorable learning experience. This dedication is a rare and important characteristic for great teachers to inspire their students. Students can sense a teacher's passion by the care that they show their students. As a teacher, I understand that my students will make mistakes and have off days, but by showing that I care I feel that my students will be more open to learning without fear of criticism.
My classroom environment will also have to model my philosophies in such a way to foster them. I will create learning communities in which students can bond with each other and learn from each other. I will have an open style room to foster the whole class as a community that is apart of the learning that goes on in the classroom. I do not feel that the teacher should have the only say in the class. Behaviors should be modeled by the teacher from the beginning of the year, and should be consistently followed with appropriate consequences. I feel that students require structure and consistence for a comfortable and secure learning environment. I feel that by following all of these philosophies, I will create a successful learning environment. I will also have to keep in mind that students' needs change and are different from class to class, so constant professional development and self-evaluation must be done in order to stay current on what the students need in the classroom.
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"The Mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The Superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
This quote by William Ward drives my philosophy of teaching. I believe that great learning starts with a great teacher to create a foundation of knowledge and build on it. For a teacher to be great, they must model learning, have high expectations, and possess a deep passion.
Teachers are many things to students, and a role model is among the top of the list. Teachers must demonstrate behaviors and characteristics they find important to their class. For example, a teacher cannot expect respect from their students, if they, themselves, do not show it in return. Teachers must not only model the behaviors appropriate for a learning environment, but also learning styles. I feel that learning is a continuous process that we engage in for our entire lives. I think that a teacher is more credible to a student if they not only show their students how to learn, but admit that they still have things to learn themselves. I will also model the classroom activities that I assign in my class. I feel that I cannot expect students to know what I expect of them without communicating it thoroughly.In my classroom, I will constantly model a positive behavior in my classroom and tailor the learning environment to be conducive with that behavior. I feel that a properly designed classroom environment can minimize behavior problems. I tend to write lesson plans in an active manner, and would create an open style classroom to assist in the learning environment.
I believe that a great teacher must also have high expectations for their students. They need to inspire students to go beyond the facts, past understanding, and into analyzing, creating, and evaluating. A great teacher shows their students that he/she believes in them and expects them to learn at higher and higher levels. An important attribute, along with having high expectations, is consistency and equality. I feel that everyone can learn. They may learn at different rates, levels and approaches, but they have the ability to possess more knowledge than they already do. A great teacher understands this and differentiates instruction to accommodate for all students and give them all an opportunity to learn. I will include a good share of inquiry learning activities in my classroom that allows students to go above and beyond the bare minimum. I feel these types of activities help turn around "the game of school" and inspire students. When students are engaged, they are less likely to become a behavior problem, and more likely to care about their learning.
To do all of this, a teacher must possess a passion. Not just a passion for their subject, but a passion for their students. Just because I may love science, it does not mean I can inspire my students to want to learn it. I many not have a passion for every topic that I will teach my students, but if I have a passion to my students' learning, I can still make it a fun and memorable learning experience. This dedication is a rare and important characteristic for great teachers to inspire their students. Students can sense a teacher's passion by the care that they show their students. As a teacher, I understand that my students will make mistakes and have off days, but by showing that I care I feel that my students will be more open to learning without fear of criticism.
I believe that a great teacher inspires their students. They do this by modeling learning styles and engaging in continuous learning themselves. A teacher must also expect the best efforts out of all of their students and understand that everyone has the ability to learn. To be a great teacher and inspire students to learn and put out their best effort, teachers must have passion. I believe that teachers should have an ongoing dedication to the success of their students. It is this dedication that allows them to do what it takes to make sure all of their students have the opportunity to learn at the best of their ability.